Re:Stolen iPhones Will Be Even More Useless from iOS 18 Onwards
by cortesoft on Friday September 13, 2024 @10:14PM
(#41536969)
Their point is that they make the process to remove the lock more confusing so as to make it so more people accidentally leave it on and brick their used devices.
This doesn't mean the theft lock feature itself doesn't have a purpose, just that making it confusing to remove was intentional to decrease hardware reuse.
Re:Stolen iPhones Will Be Even More Useless from iOS 18 Onwards
by schrodinger on Friday September 13, 2024 @10:56PM
(#41537150)
They have a page exactly for this, first hit on Google for “delete sell iPhone” https://support.apple.com/en-us/109511
Re:Stolen iPhones Will Be Even More Useless from iOS 18 Onwards
by MBCook on Friday September 13, 2024 @11:15PM
(#41537216)
As someone who always trades in old devices, I promise you every single reseller willing to buy your phone will have these instruction as part of their “sell to us” process. I’ve used at least 3-4 different places over the years.
Send them a locked device, they’ll send it back because it’s unsellable.
No legit place is buying locked devices. Which means they don’t sell them.
“Stolen mode” isn’t really a thing with Activation Lock; Apple correctly assumes that the average victim of theft isn’t alert enough to flip some switches in iCloud.
Thieves know that iPhones are useless - now even more so - in their default state, and can only be removed from that state with deliberate action from the legitimate owner.
That has real life value, and so your accusation that it “only exists to pad the bottom line” is wrong.